U.S. patent number 7,568,310 [Application Number 10/937,081] was granted by the patent office on 2009-08-04 for opening/closing system for vehicle.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Mitsuba Corporation. Invention is credited to Kousi Miura, Masaei Sato, Yoshitaka Sekine, Toru Takahashi.
United States Patent |
7,568,310 |
Sato , et al. |
August 4, 2009 |
Opening/closing system for vehicle
Abstract
An opening/closing system for vehicle can improve detection
accuracy of rotation of an output member and enhance reliability of
its operation. The opening/closing system for vehicle includes a
drive unit having an electric motor and a reduction gear unit. A
drum, which is an output member, is fixed to the output shaft of
the drive unit through a power transmittable member. A magnet fixed
to the outer periphery of a disk member is disposed between the
drum and the gear case of the reduction gear unit in such a way
that the magnet rotates along with the drum when the disk member is
fixed to the power transmittable member. A housing case fixed to
the gear case is provided with a sensor accommodating section that
accommodates a magnetic sensor. The magnetic sensor is disposed to
detect the rotation of the drum from a change in a magnetic field
created by the magnet.
Inventors: |
Sato; Masaei (Kiryu,
JP), Takahashi; Toru (Kiryu, JP), Sekine;
Yoshitaka (Kiryu, JP), Miura; Kousi (Kiryu,
JP) |
Assignee: |
Mitsuba Corporation (Kiryu-shi,
Gunma, JP)
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Family
ID: |
34269896 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/937,081 |
Filed: |
September 9, 2004 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20050055883 A1 |
Mar 17, 2005 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Sep 11, 2003 [JP] |
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2003-319991 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
49/360 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05F
15/646 (20150115); E05Y 2201/246 (20130101); E05Y
2201/462 (20130101); E05Y 2900/531 (20130101); E05Y
2201/216 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E05F
11/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;49/360 ;296/155 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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38 29 405 |
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Mar 1990 |
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DE |
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42 09 652 |
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Apr 1993 |
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DE |
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2000177391 |
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Jun 2000 |
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JP |
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2000179233 |
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Jun 2000 |
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JP |
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2002327576 |
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Nov 2002 |
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JP |
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2003074255 |
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Mar 2003 |
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JP |
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Other References
German Office Action for Serial No. 10 2004 043 704.1-23 dated Jan.
22, 2008 and English translation. cited by other.
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Primary Examiner: Redman; Jerry
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kir
Claims
What is claim is:
1. An opening/closing system for vehicle, which automatically opens
and closes an opening/closing member provided to the vehicle, the
system comprising: a drive unit having a drive source and a
reduction gear mechanism accommodated in a gear case, an output
shaft for outputting a rotation of said drive source projecting
from said gear case; a rotatable output member fixed to a portion
of said output shaft projecting from said gear case and linked to
said opening/closing member, and outputting power of said drive
unit to said opening/closing member, a cable guide groove being
formed in an outer peripheral surface of said output member; an
electromagnetic clutch covered by said gear case and a clutch
cover, and intermitting power transmission between said reduction
gear mechanism and said output shaft; a case body provided with an
output member accommodating section that covers said outer
peripheral surface of said output member, the case body being fixed
to said gear case; a magnet disposed between said gear case and
said output member, and rotating along with said output member; and
a magnetic sensor disposed at said case body so as to oppose said
magnet and detecting a rotation of said output member from a change
in a magnetic field created by said magnet, wherein a gap between
said outer peripheral surface of said output member and said output
member accommodating section is smaller than an outer diameter of a
cable wound in said cable guide groove of said output member.
2. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 1,
wherein said magnet is fixed to an outer periphery of a disk member
rotating along with said output member.
3. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 2,
wherein said output member is fixed to said output shaft through a
power transmittable member and said disk member is fixed to said
power transmittable member.
4. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 2,
further comprising: a cover fixed to said case body and closing
said output member accommodating section.
5. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 4,
wherein said case body is provided with a partition wall extending
between said gear case and said output member.
6. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 5,
wherein said partition wall extends between said output member and
said disk member.
7. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 5,
wherein said partition wall forms a labyrinth seal along with said
output member.
8. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 5,
wherein said partition wall forms a labyrinth seal along with said
disk member.
9. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 4,
wherein said output shaft is disposed horizontally to said vehicle,
and said output member accommodating section is provided with a
sloped surface located below said output member and extending to a
drainage hole.
10. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 4,
wherein said case body is provided with a sensor accommodating
section for accommodating said magnetic sensor, and said magnetic
sensor is held by said case body in said sensor accommodating
section.
11. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 10,
wherein said sensor accommodating section is closed by a
falling-off section provided to said cover.
12. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 1,
further comprising: a cover fixed to said case body and closing
said output member accommodating section.
13. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 12,
wherein said case body is provided with a partition wall extending
between said gear case and said output member.
14. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 13,
wherein said partition wall forms a labyrinth seal along with said
output member.
15. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 12,
wherein said output shaft is disposed horizontally to said vehicle,
and said output member accommodating section is provided with a
sloped surface located below said output member and extending to a
drainage hole.
16. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 12,
wherein said case body is provided with a sensor accommodating
section for accommodating said magnetic sensor, and said magnetic
sensor is held by said case body in said sensor accommodating
section.
17. The opening/closing system for vehicle according to claim 16,
wherein said sensor accommodating section is closed by a
falling-off section provided to said cover.
Description
Applicants hereby claim forein priority benefits under U.S.C.
.sctn. 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-319991, filed
on Sep. 11, 2003, the content of which is incorporated by reference
herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an opening/closing system for a
vehicle, which automatically opens and closes an opening/closing
member provided to the vehicle and particularly to a technique
effectively applied to the opening and closing of a sliding door,
and a back door, etc.
An opening/closing member such as a door, a backdoor, and a sunroof
is provided everywhere to a vehicle such as an automobile.
Particularly, as is often the case with a station wagon and a
one-box car (minivan) etc., a side portion of the vehicle is
provided with the sliding door that is opened and closed in
vehicle-front and vehicle-rear directions, whereby, through the
side portion, for example, some people can easily get in or out and
a load can be easily put in the vehicle or removed from it.
Since an open space at the side portion of the vehicle, which is
required at the time of opening and closing such a sliding door,
can be made small, it is often applied to a comparatively large
opening. For this reason, there is a trend toward the fact that the
sliding door itself is enlarged, and there is the case where it is
difficult for women and/or children to open and close freely the
sliding door due to increase of weight of the sliding door.
Particularly, there is the problem that it is impossible to open
easily the sliding door on a sloping road due to its own weight.
Consequently, under the current circumstances where use of family
cars such as one-box cars is increasing, there has been developed a
vehicle mounted on an opening/closing system for vehicle, which
automatically opens and closes the sliding door so as to be easily
opened and closed even by the women and children.
As such an opening/closing system, there is well known the system
in which cables connected to the sliding door from vehicle-front
and vehicle-rear sides are wound around a drum and the sliding door
is opened and closed by rotation-driving the drum using a drive
unit. In this case, the drive unit has an electric motor serving as
a drive source and a reduction gear mechanism accommodated in a
gear case, wherein the rotation of the electric motor is reduced to
a predetermined revolution speed by the reduction gear mechanism
and then output through an output shaft. The output shaft is
provided to project from the gear case and the above-mentioned drum
is fixed to the output shaft and rotation-driven by the drive unit.
Due to this, when the electric motor is operated, either cable on
the vehicle-front or vehicle-rear side is taken up by the drum and
the sliding door is opened and closed while being drawn by the
cable. At this time, a moving direction of the sliding door is
determined by a rotation direction of the electric motor.
Even in the vehicle provided with such an opening/closing system,
the sliding door of the vehicle is opened and closed manually in
some cases. However, since the sliding door is linked to the
electric motor through the cables, drum, and reduction gear
mechanism, etc., the power required for handling such a sliding
door is much greater than that for handling a sliding door having
no opening/closing member. Accordingly, there has been known a
structure in which an electromagnetic clutch is provided between a
reduction gear mechanism and an output shaft so as to make
intermittently a power transmission therebetween and the
electromagnetic clutch becomes broken when the sliding door is
manually opened and closed. With this arrangement, when the sliding
door is manually opened and closed, the power transmission between
the electric motor and the sliding door is broken by the
electromagnetic clutch. Thus, a control force for handling the
sliding door becomes as small as that for handling a sliding door
having no opening/closing member, so that a sense of control of the
sliding door is improved. As the above-mentioned electromagnetic
clutch, there is used a so-called friction type one comprising a
drive disk fixed to a side of the reduction gear mechanism, a
follower disk fixed to an output shaft, and a clutch coil, wherein
the mutually faced disks are pressed by magnetic attraction caused
by the clutch coil and the transmission of power is made.
Therefore, the electromagnetic clutch is accommodated in the gear
case and formed integrally with the drive unit.
For example, in Japanese Patent laid-open No. 2000-179233 and No.
2003-74255, there has been well known an opening/closing system
comprising a sensor magnet fixed to an outer periphery of a rotor
in an electromagnetic clutch, and a magnetic sensor such as a Hall
device fixed into a gear case so as to oppose to the sensor magnet,
wherein the operation of the opening/closing system is controlled
according to a detection signal outputted from the magnetic sensor.
In this case, the magnetic sensor is adapted to output a pulse
signal having a period that depends on the revolution speed of the
sensor magnet, namely, a drum. The opened and closed positions of
the sliding door are detected by integrating the pulse signal from
the time when the sliding door is completely closed, and the
setting of moving speed and the control of a slow stop mode and so
on are made in accordance with the opened and closed positions.
Additionally, extension of the period that the pulse signal has is
detected and when the extension is equal to or exceeds a
predetermined value, insertion is detected. Therefore, the
insertion is prevented by stopping movement of the slide door or
reversing it.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, in such an opening/closing system, since the sensor magnet
is fixed to a periphery of the rotor of the electromagnetic clutch,
a magnetic field of the sensor magnet is disturbed due to the
magnetic field generated by the clutch coil in some cases.
Additionally, since the electromagnetic clutch has a structure in
which the disks thereof are frictionally engaged with each other,
there is the fear that magnetized abrasion powders are produced in
the gear case and such magnetized abrasion powders adhere to the
sensor magnet. In these cases, since the accuracy of detection of
the magnetic sensor is reduced, there is the fear that the
reliability of the controlling operation of the sliding door, which
is conducted according to the detection signal of the magnetic
sensor, is reduced.
Furthermore, since the magnetic sensor is housed in the gear case
along with the sensor magnet, there is the fear that detection
sensitivity of the magnetic sensor is degraded and the detection
accuracy of the revolution sensor is reduced when the temperature
of the inside of the gear case rises due to heat etc. generated by
the electric motor.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to improve the
detection accuracy of revolutions of the output member and enhance
the reliability of operation of an opening/closing system for
vehicle.
An opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention, which automatically opens and closes an opening/closing
member provided to the vehicle, comprises: a drive unit having a
drive source and a reduction gear mechanism accommodated in a gear
case, an output shaft for outputting a rotation of said drive
source projecting from said gear case; an output member fixed to
said output shaft and linked to said opening/closing member, and
outputting power of said drive unit to said opening/closing member;
a magnet disposed between said gear case and said output member,
and rotating along with said output member; and a magnetic sensor
disposed so as to oppose said magnet and detecting a rotation of
said output member from a change in a magnetic field created by
said magnet.
In the opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention, said magnet is fixed to an outer periphery of a disk
member rotating along with said output member.
In the opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention, said output member is fixed to said output shaft through
a power transmittable member and said disk member is fixed to said
power transmittable member.
The opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention further comprises: a case body provided with an output
member accommodating section, which covers the radial outer
periphery of said output member, and fixed to said gear case; and a
cover fixed to said case body and closing said output member
accommodating section.
In the opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention, said case body is provided with a partition wall
extending between said gear case and said output member.
In the opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention, said partition wall extends between said output member
and said disk member.
In the opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention, said partition wall forms a labyrinth seal along with
said output member.
In the opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention, said partition wall forms a labyrinth seal along with
said disk member.
In the opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention, said output shaft is disposed horizontally to said
vehicle, and said output member accommodating section is provided
with a sloped surface located below said output member and
extending to a drainage hole.
In the opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention, said case body is provided with a sensor accommodating
section for accommodating said magnetic sensor, and said magnetic
sensor is held by said case body in said sensor accommodating
section.
In the opening/closing system for vehicle according to the present
invention, said sensor accommodating section is closed by a
falling-off section provided to said cover.
According to the present invention, since the magnet that rotates
along with the output member is disposed between the gear case of
the drive unit and the output member, the magnetic field created by
the magnet is prevented from being disturbed, so that the detection
accuracy of the rotation of the output member can be improved by
the magnetic sensors. Additionally, since the magnet is disposed on
the side of the gear case with respect to the output member, the
influence on the vibration of the output shaft is blocked and so
the detection of the rotation of the output member can be improved
by the magnetic sensors. As a result, it is possible to improve the
reliability of operation of the opening/closing system for the
vehicle.
Additionally, according to the present invention, since the magnet
is fixed to the outer peripheral end of the disk member, it is
possible to block the noise generated due to the reduction gear
mechanism by the disk member and therefore to reduce the noise in
the cabin of the vehicle.
Still additionally, according to the present invention, since the
disk member to which the magnet is fixed is fixed to the power
transmittable member that is fixed to the output shaft, it can be
positioned easily.
Still additionally, according to the present invention, since the
gear case is blocked from the output member by a partition wall, it
is possible to improve the waterproof effect on the opening/closing
system for the vehicle. Furthermore, since the noise generated by
the reduction gear mechanism is blocked by the partition wall, it
is possible to reduce the noise level in the cabin of the
vehicle.
Still additionally, according to the present invention, since the
partition wall forms a labyrinth seal along with the output member
or the disk member, it is possible to improve the waterproof effect
on the opening/closing system for the vehicle.
Still additionally, according to the present invention, since any
water or rain water etc. entering the interior of the output member
accommodating section is made to flow down along a sloped surface
and drain through a drainage hole, it is possible to improve the
waterproof effect on the case body and the opening/closing system
for the vehicle.
Still additionally, according to the present invention, since the
magnetic sensors are held at the case body and positioned in the
sensor accommodating section that is provided to the case body, it
is possible to position the magnetic sensors with respect to the
magnet easily.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the sensor
accommodating section that accommodates the magnet sensor is closed
by a falling-off section provided on the cover for closing the
output member accommodating section and the magnetic sensors are
prevented from slipping out of the sensor accommodating section by
the falling-off section, it is possible to easily carry out
attachment of the magnetic sensors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view for describing a vehicle equipped
with an opening/closing system for vehicle according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a principal portion of the
vehicle shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a partially notched sectional view showing the details of
the opening/closing system for vehicle shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A shown in FIG.
3.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the opening/closing
system for vehicle shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the details of a fixed portion
of a drum and an output shaft.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an end section of an outer
casing.
FIG. 8A is an elevation view showing the details of a stopper.
FIG. 8B is a side view showing the details of a stopper.
FIG. 8C is a perspective view showing the details of a stopper.
FIG. 9A is an explanatory view showing an operating process of the
stopper.
FIG. 9B is an explanatory view showing an operating process of the
stopper.
FIG. 9C is an explanatory view showing an operating process of the
stopper.
FIG. 10A is a sectional view showing an operating process of the
stopper.
FIG. 10B is a sectional view showing an operating process of the
stopper.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be
detailed based on the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view for describing a vehicle equipped
with an opening/closing system for vehicle according to an
embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan
view of a principal portion of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, a side portion of a vehicle 11 is provided with
a sliding door 12 that is an opening/closing member. The sliding
door 12 is guided by a guide rail 13 fixed to the vehicle 11 and
can be opened and closed between a fully opened position indicated
by the solid lines in FIG. 1 and a fully closed position indicated
by the dotted chain lines thereof, and therefore is used by being
opened up to the fully opened position when passengers get on and
off a second seat 14 or a third seat 15 provided in a vehicle
interior or cargos are loaded therein and discharged therefrom.
As shown in FIG. 2, a roller assembly 16 is attached to the sliding
door 12, so that the sliding door 12 can be moved in vehicle-front
and vehicle-rear directions since the roller assembly 16 is guided
by the guide rail 13. Also, the guide rail 13 on a vehicle-front
side is provided with a curved section 13a that is curved toward
the inside of the vehicle. Since the roller assembly 16 is guided
by the curved section 13a, the sliding door 12 is drawn inside the
vehicle 11 so that an outer surface of the sliding door 12 can fall
within the same surface as a side surface of the vehicle 11,
whereby the sliding door is closed.
The vehicle 11 is provided with an opening/closing system for
vehicle 21 for automatically opening and closing the sliding door
12 (hereinafter abbreviated as an "opening/closing system 21"). The
opening/closing system 21 comprises: an actuator unit 22 arranged
to be adjacent to the guide rail 13 at a substantially central
portion of the guide rail 13 with respect to the vehicle-front and
vehicle-rear sides and fixed to the vehicle 11; and two cables 23
for linking the actuator unit 22 and the sliding door 12. These
cables 23 are connected to the sliding door 12 via the roller
assembly 16 from each of the vehicle-front and vehicle-rear sides.
End portions of the guide rail 13 on the vehicle-front and
vehicle-rear sides are provided with reverse pulleys 24 and 25, so
that the cables 23 are guided by the actuator unit 22 via the
reverse pulleys 24 and 25. Therefore, by pulling one of the cables
23 using the actuator unit 22, the sliding door 12 is can be opened
and closed.
FIG. 3 is a partially notched sectional view showing the details of
the opening/closing system for vehicle shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4
is a sectional view taken along the line A-A shown in FIG. 3.
Additionally, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the
opening/closing system for vehicle shown in FIG. 3.
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the opening/closing system 21 comprises a
drive unit 28 including an electric motor 26 serving as a drive
source and a reduction gear unit 27 fixed to the electric motor 26.
A drive force required for opening and closing the sliding door 12
is generated by the drive unit 28 used as a drive means. The
electric motor 26 is connected to a control unit (not shown) via a
feeder line 31, thereby being operated and controlled by the
control unit. A microcomputer provided with a CPU, and a memory,
etc. is used as the control unit. The control unit is adapted to
supply a DC current flowing in a predetermined direction to the
electric motor 26 in accordance with a command signal sent from a
sliding door opening/closing switch (not shown) and to operate the
electric motor 26 forwardly or reversely.
Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4, the reduction gear unit 27 has a
structure in which a reduction gear mechanism 33 is accommodated
inside a gear case 32a fixed to the electric motor 26. In the case
of its illustration, there is used, as the reduction gear mechanism
33, a worm gear mechanism including: a worm 34 formed on an outer
periphery of a rotary shaft of the electric motor 26; and a worm
wheel 35 rotatably accommodated inside the gear case 32a. An output
shaft 36 of the drive unit 28 projects form the gear case 32a, so
that the rotation of the electric motor 26 is reduced to
predetermined rotation via the reduction gear mechanism 33 and
outputted from the output shaft 36.
Note that although the worm gear mechanism is used as the reduction
gear mechanism 33 when is illustrated, the present invention is not
limited thereto and may use a reduction gear mechanism of other
type such as combination of spur gear wheels different in the
number of teeth.
An electromagnetic clutch 37 is provided on the gear case 32a so
that power transmission between the reduction gear mechanism 33 and
the output shaft 36 can intermit by the electromagnetic clutch 37.
The electromagnetic clutch 37 is a so-called friction type
electromagnetic clutch and includes a drive disk 41, a follower
disk 42 and a clutch coil 43. The drive disk 41 is disk-shaped and
made of steel, and is linked to the worm wheel 35 so as to rotate
integrally with the worm wheel 35. The follower disk 42 is
disk-shaped and made of steel, and is spline-engaged with the
output shaft 36 so as to rotate integrally with the output shaft 36
and simultaneously to be axially movable with respect to the output
shaft 36. The clutch coil 43 is accommodated in a coil holder 44
fixed to the gear case 32a and is disposed at a back portion of the
drive disk 41, that is, on a side opposite to a friction surface
coming in contact with the follower disk 42, thereby creating a
magnetic force by electric power supplied from the control unit
(not shown). Note that a clutch cover 32b is attached to the gear
case 32a so as to cover the electromagnetic clutch 37. When the
magnetic force is created by the clutch coil 43, the follower disk
42 is moved to approach the drive disk 41, so that the respective
disks 41 and 42 are pressed against each other on their friction
surfaces. As a result, a relation between the worm wheel 35 and the
output shaft 36 becomes in a power transmissible state of being
fixed to each other through the disks 41 and 42, so that the
rotation of the worm wheel 35, namely, that of the electric motor
26 is transmitted to the output shaft 36. Further, if the supply of
power to the clutch coil 43 is stopped, the frictional force
between the disks 41 and 42 is reduced and a relation between the
worm wheel 35 and the output shaft 36 becomes in a power cutoff
state. Thus, the power transmissible state between the electric
motor 26 and the output shaft 36 intermits by the electromagnetic
clutch 37.
There is fixed, to the drive unit 28, a housing case 47 including:
a case body 45 fixed to the gear case 32a; and a cover 46 fixed to
the case body 45, wherein an output member 51 is accommodated
inside an output member accommodating section 48 provided to the
case body 45. In this case, the output member 51 is a resin drum
51, on an outer surface of which two helical cable guide grooves 52
are formed, thereby being rotatable inside the output member
accommodating section 48.
The output member accommodating section 48 has a cylindrical
section 53 having an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer
diameter of the drum 51 and opposed to the outer peripheral surface
of the drum 51, whereby the outer periphery of the drum 51 is
radically covered by the cylindrical section 53. Further, the cover
46 is adapted to close an open end of the output member
accommodating section 48, so that the drum 51 is isolated from the
outside by the cylindrical section 53 and the cover 46.
The case body 45 is provided with two guide sections 54 arranged to
be of a substantially V-shape with respect to the output member
accommodating section 48. A portion of each cable 23 is inserted
into the interior of the case body 45 from a cable insertion hole
56, which is provided to an end surface 55 of each corresponding
guide section 54, and therefore is guided by the drum 51. In other
words, a part of the cable 23 located at a side of the drum 51 is
movably accommodated inside the hosing case 47. Each of the cables
23 is attached to a cable fixing groove 57 obtained by forming a
drum-like part 23a provided to the end portion thereof on an end
surface of the drum 51 and is wound around a corresponding cable
guide grove 52 by two or more turns opposite to each other. In
short, the drum 51 is linked to the sliding door 12 through the
cables 23 and the drive force of the drive unit 28 is transmitted
to the sliding door 12 by the cables 23 provided between the drive
unit 28 and the sliding door 12.
At this time, a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the
drum 51 and the cylindrical section 53 is smaller than the outer
diameter of the cables 23, so that even if the cables 23 become
loose with respect to the drum 51, the cables 23 do not come away
from the cable guide grooves 52. Additionally, since the case body
45 is fixed to the drive unit 28 and the drum 51 is fixed to the
output shaft 36 of the drive unit 28, it is easy to position the
outer peripheral surface of the drum 51 and the inner surface of
the cylindrical section 53 to have a fixed gap therebetween smaller
than an outer diameter of the cable 23.
Thus, in the opening/closing system 21, the output member
accommodating section 48 is provided to the case body 45 fixed to
the gear case 32a and the output member accommodating section 48 is
closed by the cover 46 fixed to the case body 45, so that it is
easy to position the drum 51 accommodated in the output member
accommodating section 48 and the output member accommodating
section 48. Therefore, it is possible to set the between the outer
peripheral surface of the drum 51 and the inner surface of the
output member accommodating section 48 to a fixed narrow interval
and prevent the cables 23 from coming away from the cable guide
grooves 52. Additionally, the cables 23 are prevented from coming
away from the cable guide grooves 52 even when the drum 51 around
which the cables 23 are wound is attached to the output member
accommodating section 48. Therefore, the operation of assembling
the opening/closing system 21 can be carried out easily.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the details of a fixed portion
of a drum and an output shaft. As shown in FIG. 6, a power
transmittable member 61 is provided between the drum 51 and the
output shaft 36 and the drum 51 is fixed to the output shaft 36
through the power transmittable member 61.
A portion of the output shaft 36 projecting from the gear case 32a
has a main shaft section 62 whose diameter is substantially the
same as the diameter of the interior of the gear case 32a. A small
diameter shaft section 63 smaller in diameter than the main shaft
section 62 projects from a front end of the main shaft section 62.
Further, a serration section 64 serving as an engaging section is
formed on an outer peripheral surface of the main shaft section 62,
and a male screw section 65 serving as a fastening section is
formed at a front end of the small diameter shaft section 63.
Meanwhile, the power transmittable member 61 has: an annular
anti-rotation section 67 provided with an engaging hole 66, on a
inner surface of which a serration groove is formed so as to
correspond to the main shaft section 62; and an annular positioning
section 69 provided with such a smaller diameter hole 68 as to
correspond to the small diameter shaft section 63. The power
transmittable member 61 has a structure in which the
above-mentioned sections are made of steel and formed integrally
with each other. The engaging hole 66 is engaged with the serration
section 64 by inserting the main shaft section 62. The small
diameter shaft section 63 is adapted to be inserted into the small
diameter hole 68. Further, a nut 71 serving as a fastening member
is screw-connected to the male screw section 65. The positioning
section 69 is sandwiched between the nut 71 and the front end
portion of the main shaft section 62. Note that the nut 71 is a
so-called anti-loosening nut having an anti-loosening function.
That is, the power transmittable member 61 is prevented from
turning with respect to the main shaft section 62 when the
anti-rotation section 67 is engaged with the serration section 64
at the engaging hole 66, and further the axial positioning is
carried out when the positioning section 69 is fastened to the nut
71 with the front end portion of the main shaft section 62. As a
result, the power transmittable member 61 is fixed to the output
shaft 36, thereby rotating integrally with the output shaft 36.
Thus, in the opening/closing system 21, the positioning is carried
out with respect to the output shaft 36 when the positioning
section 69 of the power transmittable member 61 is inserted between
the front end portion of the main shaft section 62 and the nut 71.
Therefore, the main shaft section 62 provided with the serration
section 64 for preventing the power transmittable member 61 from
rotating can be formed so as to have substantially the same
diameter as that of the interior of the gear case 32a. Accordingly,
it is unnecessary to use a highly strong and expensive material for
forming the output shaft 36 and so the cost of the opening/closing
system 21 can be reduced.
There is provided, to an axial end portion on a side opposite to
the gear case 32a of the power transmittable member 61, an annular
engaging section 72 radially projecting from the outer periphery of
the anti-rotation section 67. A washer 73 serving as a large
diameter greater than that of the positioning section 69 is
provided between the nut 71 and the power transmittable member 61.
Therefore, the drum 51 is sandwiched between the engaging section
72 and the washer 73 and fixed to the power transmittable member
61. At this time, since the end surface of the drum 51 disposed on
a side opposite to the washer 73 is on substantially the same
surface as the end surface of the power transmittable member 61
disposed on a side opposite to the washer 73, the fastening force
of the nut 71 is mainly supported by the power transmittable member
61 made of steel. Therefore, the large fastening force is not
applied to the drum 51 made of a resin. Note that although the
large diameter section is the washer 73 formed separately from the
nut 71 when is illustrated, the present invention is not limited
thereto and, for example, may use, instead of the large diameter
section, a flange for the nut 71, which is formed integrally with
the nut 71.
As described above, in the opening/closing system 21, the drum 51
is fixed to be sandwiched between the engaging section 72 provided
to the power transmittable member 61 and the washer 73. Therefore,
the fastening force of the nut 71 is mainly applied to the power
transmittable member 61, whereby it is possible to prevent the drum
51 from being deformed by the fastening force of the nut 71.
Three convex portions 74 are provided so as to project radially
from the outer periphery of the power transmittable member 61. The
drum 51 is prevented from rotating with respect to the power
transmittable member 61 when the convex portions 74 are engaged
with concave portions 75 formed on the drum 51.
With the above-described arrangement, the drum 51 is fixed to the
output shaft 36 via the power transmittable member 61 and is
rotate-driven by the drive unit 28. When the drum 51 is
rotate-driven by the drive unit 28, one of the cables 23 is taken
up by the drum 51 and the other of the cables 23 is feed out from
the drum 51 to open and close the sliding door 12. Additionally,
when the rotation direction of the electric motor 26, namely, that
of the drum 51 is reversed, the moving direction of the sliding
door 12 can be changed. Thus, the power of the drive unit 28 is
outputted to the sliding door 12 by the drum 51 so as to drive the
sliding door 12.
In such an opening/closing system 21, since a portion of the cable
23 is exposed to the outside of the vehicle 11, rain water and
dust, etc. enter into the interior of the output member
accommodating section 48 via the cables 23 and adhere to the
electric motor 26 and the reduction gear unit 27. For this reason,
there is the fear of interfering with the operation of the drive
unit 28. Therefore, in the opening/closing system 21, since a
partition wall 76 extending between the drum 51 and the gear case
32a is provided to the case body 45, the partition wall 76 prevents
rain water and dust, etc. entering into the interior of the output
member accommodating section 48 from adhering the drive unit
28.
The partition wall 76 is formed of a disk shape and extends
radially and inwardly from an end portion of the cylindrical
section 53 located on a side of the gear case 32a toward the output
shaft 36. It is provided at the axial center thereof with a through
hole 77 through which the output shaft 36 and the power
transmittable member 61 pass. Additionally, the partition wall 76
is provided at the inner peripheral end thereof with a seal section
78 that is bent toward the drum 51. The seal section 78 is located
inside an annular groove 79 formed on the end surface of the drum
51. In other words, since the seal section 78 of the partition wall
76 has a labyrinth seal formed along with the annular groove 79 of
the drum 51, it is possible to enhance waterproof effect on rain
water etc. flowing from the output member accommodating section 48
toward the gear case 32a.
As described above, in the opening/closing system 21, since the
partition wall 76 is provided between the gear case 32a and the
drum 51, foreign matters such as rain water and dust entering the
output member accommodating section 48 can be prevented from
adhering to the drive unit 28. Additionally, the partition wall 76
blocks noise generated by the gear case 32a to reduce the noise
level in the cabin of the vehicle 11 to which the opening/closing
system 21 is provided.
Further, in the opening/closing system 21, since the partition wall
76 forms a labyrinth seal along with the drum 51, it is possible to
enhance the waterproof effect on foreign matters such as rain water
etc. leaking from the output member accommodating section 48 toward
the side of the gear case 32a.
Additionally, in this case, since the actuator unit 22 is fixed to
the vehicle 11 in such a way that the output shaft 36 of the
reduction gear unit 27 is held horizontal with respect to the
vehicle 11, the foreign matters entering the output member
accommodating section 48 are accumulated in a lower portions of the
drum 51. Therefore, in the opening/closing system 21, since a
sloped surface 82 located in the lower portion of the drum 51 and
extending to a drainage hole 81 is provided to the output member
accommodating section 48, it is possible to drain rain water etc.
from the drainage hole 81 via the sloped surface 82. Due to this,
the drainage effect of the output member accommodating section 48
is improved and the waterproof effect of the opening/closing system
21 can be enhanced.
Thus, in the opening/closing system 21, since the output member
accommodating section 48 is provided with the sloped surface 82
extending to the drainage hole 81, the drainage effect of the
output member accommodating section 48 is improved and the
waterproof effect of the opening/closing system 21 can be
enhanced.
The opening/closing system 21 is provided with: a magnet 83
disposed between the drum 51 and the gear case 32a and rotating
along with the drum 51; and two magnetic sensors 84 arranged to
oppose the magnet 83 and detecting the rotation of the drum 51
depending on a change in the magnetic field created by the magnet
83, wherein the above-mentioned control unit controls the operation
of the electric motor 26 based on the detection signals from the
magnetic sensors 84.
The magnet 83 is formed of an annular shape and operates as a
so-called multi-pole magnet in which a large number of magnetic
poles are peripherally arranged and magnetized. A disk member 86 is
fixed to the power transmittable member 61 by rivets 85 and the
magnet 83 is fixed to the outer periphery of the disk member 86.
That is, the magnet 83 and the disk member 86 are fixed to the drum
51 through the power transmittable member 61 and arranged between
the drum 51 and the gear case 32a so as to rotate along with the
drum 51. Thus, the magnet 83 rotates along with the drum 51 outside
the gear case 32a, so that the magnetic field created by the magnet
83 is not disturbed by the magnetic field created by the clutch
coil 43 of the electromagnetic clutch 37 housed inside the gear
case 32a and further the magnetized abrasion powders etc. generated
from the respective disks 41 and 42 do not adhesive to the magnet
83.
Note that the disk member 86 is made of a metal plate and so in
itself generates no magnetic field.
Thus, in the opening/closing system 21, since the magnet 83 is
disposed between the drum 51 and the gear case 32a, the magnetic
field created by the magnet 83 is not disturbed by the magnetic
field created by the clutch coil 43 of the electromagnetic clutch
37 housed inside the gear case 32a. Additionally, the magnetized
abrasion powders etc. generated from the respective disks 41 and 42
are prevented from adhering to the magnet 83. Therefore, any
disturbance to the magnetic field created by the magnet 83 is
prevented from taking place and hence it is possible to enhance the
detection accuracy of the rotation of the drum 51 by the magnetic
sensors 84. Additionally, since the magnet 83 is disposed on a side
of the gear case 32a nearer than the drum 51, the influence on
vibrations of the output shaft 36 is reduced and consequently the
detection accuracy by the magnetic sensors 84 is enhanced. Further,
since the magnetic sensors 84 are arranged outside the gear case
32a along with the magnet 83, they are not put under the hot
environment such as the interior of the gear case 32a made very hot
due to the heat etc. generated by the electric motor 26. Thus, it
is possible to enhance the detection accuracy of the magnetic
sensors 84.
Also, in the opening/closing system 21, the magnet 83 is fixed to
the outer periphery of the disk member 86 rotating along with the
drum 51. Therefore, the noise generated by the reduction gear
mechanism 33 is blocked by the disk member 86, and the noise level
in the cabin of the vehicle 11 provided with the opening/closing
system 21 is can be reduced.
Additionally, in the opening/closing system 21, the magnet 83 is
positioned by fixing the disk member 86 to the power transmittable
member 61, so that the magnet 83 can be positioned easily.
The above-described partition wall 76 extends between the drum 51
and the disk member 86 and forms a labyrinth seal along with the
disk member 86. In this case, a step section 87 recessed toward the
drum 51 is provided to the substantially radial and center portion
of the disk member 86. Therefore, the gap between the partition
wall 76 and the disk member 86 is slightly reduced by the step
section 87 to form the labyrinth seal.
Thus, in the opening/closing system 21, the partition wall 76 forms
the labyrinth seal along with the disk member 86, so that the
waterproof effect on the opening/closing system 21 is enhanced by
the partition wall 76.
Meanwhile, Hall devices are used as the two magnetic sensors 84.
The magnetic sensors 84 are mounted on a sensor substrate 88 and
housed, along with the sensor plate 88, in a sensor accommodating
section 91 formed on the case body 45. At this time, the sensor
substrate 88 is held by the case body 45 at the sensor
accommodating section 91. Namely, the respective magnetic sensors
84 are held by the case body 45 at the sensor accommodating section
91 through the sensor substrate 88, thereby being positioned so as
to oppose the magnet 83. The cover 46 is provided with a
falling-off section 92 closing the sensor accommodating section 91.
Therefore, when the cover 46 is attached to the case body 45, the
sensor accommodating section 91 is closed by the falling-off
section 92. For this reason, the sensor substrate 88, namely, the
magnetic sensor 84 is prevented from coming away from the sensor
accommodating section 91 by the falling-off section 92.
As described above, in the opening/closing system 21, the magnetic
sensors 84 are held by the case body 45 at the sensor accommodating
section 91, thereby being positioned. Accordingly, the magnetic
sensors 84 can easily be positioned with respect to the magnet
83.
Additionally, in the opening/closing system 21, the magnetic
sensors 84 are prevented from coming away from the case body 45 by
the falling-off section 92 provided to the cover 46, so that the
magnetic sensors 84 can be easily attached thereto.
The respective magnetic sensors 84 housed in the sensor
accommodating section 91 are peripherally arranged so as to
displace only predetermined angles with respect to the magnet 83,
whereby phases of detection signals generated by the same magnetic
pole are displaced by 90 degrees. With this arrangement, when the
drive unit 28 is operated and the magnet 83 rotates along with the
drum 51, the magnetic sensors 84 output the detection signals,
namely, pulse signals each having a period that depends on the
rotation of the drum 51 in response to the change in the magnet
poles of the magnet 83 opposing thereto. That is, the magnetic
sensors 84 detect the rotation of the drum 51 from the change in
the magnetic field of the magnet 83.
The detection signals of the magnetic sensors 84 are inputted to
the control unit through sensor lines 93. The control unit can
recognize the current position of the sliding door 12 by
integrating each of the pulse signals outputted from the magnetic
sensors 84 from the time when the sliding door 12 is in the fully
closed position, and can also recognize the moving speed of the
drum 51, namely, that of the sliding door 12 from the period of
each of the pulse signals of the magnetic sensors 84. Additionally,
the control unit can recognize the rotating direction of the drum
51, namely, the moving direction of the sliding door 12 from
outputting order of the pulse signals of the respective magnetic
sensors 84.
Also, the control unit controls the operation of the electric motor
26 on the basis of the opening and closing position and the moving
speed of the sliding door 12. Such control includes, for example,
so-called slow stop control in which the moving speed of the
sliding door 12 is reduced near the fully closed position thereof,
and so-called insertion prevention control in which when the period
of the pulse signal is prolonged beyond a predetermined value,
namely, when the moving speed of the sliding door 12 reduced below
a predetermined level, the insertion is detected and the sliding
door 12 is stopped and/or moved reversely.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an end section of an outer
casing, wherein the cables 23 between the reversing pulleys 24 and
25 and the case body 45 are inserted into an outer casing 94 used
as a tensile force applying member made of a resin material. The
outer casing 94 includes: an outer tube 95 formed into a tube; and
a sliding cap 96 attached to an end portion thereof, wherein one
end thereof is fixed to the reversing pulleys 24 and 25 and the
other end is inserted into the interior of the guide section 54
from the cable insertion hole 56. The one end of the outer casing
94 is movably accommodated axially inside the guide section 54 in
such a state that the sliding cap 96 is supported by the guide
section 54 at the flange section 97 thereof.
Additionally, a tension spring 98 as a tensile force applying
elastic member is provided inside the guide section 54. The tension
spring 98 is arranged so as to be coaxial with the cable 23. The
cable 23 passes through a center of axis of the tension spring 98.
A large diameter fixing section 98a greater in diameter than the
other portions except for the large diameter fixing section is
formed at an end portion of the tension spring 98 located on a side
of the drum 51 and without a predetermined range. The large
diameter fixing section 98a is engaged with a groove 54a formed at
the end portion of the guide section 54 located on a side of the
drum 51. With this arrangement, the end portion of the tension
spring 98 is fixed to the case body 45. Therefore, it is
unnecessary to provide the case body 45 with a receiving section
with which the end portion of the tension spring 98 contacts.
Additionally, it is possible to prevent the cable 23 from being
guided by the cable guide groove 52 of the drum 51 and being moved
along the axis of the output shaft 36 to contact with the tension
spring 98 and the receiving section of the case body 45.
In this way, in the opening/closing system 21, since the large
diameter fixing section 98a of the tension spring 98 is engaged
with the groove 54a of the case body 45 and is supported by the
case body 45, the cable 23 is prevented from contacting with the
tension spring 98 and the case body 45 even if the cable 23 is
guided by the cable guide groove 52 of the drum 51 and moved along
the axis of the output shaft 36.
Meanwhile, the other end of the tension spring 98 abuts the flange
section 97 of the sliding cap 96. Thus, the sliding cap 96 is
biased by the tension spring 98 so as to be pushed out of the case
body 45. Therefore, the outer casing 94 is warped between the
reversing pulleys 24 and 25 and the actuator unit 22 by the
resilient force of the tension spring 98 used as a spring member,
whereby each of the cables 23 is accordingly warped between the
reversing pulleys 24 and 25 and the actuator unit 22. In other
words, a moving route of each of the cables 23 is detoured by the
outer casing 94 between the reversing pulleys 24 and 25 and the
actuator unit 22, whereby the tensile force is applied to the cable
23.
FIGS. 8A to 8C are an elevation view, a side view, and a
perspective view showing the details of a stopper, respectively,
and FIGS. 9A to 9C are explanatory views showing an operating
process of the stopper, respectively. FIGS. 10A and 10B are
sectional views showing an operating process of the stopper,
respectively.
In the above-mentioned opening/closing system 21, the cables 23
need to be loosened to a certain extent when they are linked to the
sliding door 12. For this purpose, the opening/closing system 21 is
provided with stoppers 101 that temporarily hold the tension spring
98 in a compressed state to release the tensile forces of the
cables 23.
As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, each of the stoppers 101 has a
substantially rectangular base section 102, and a flange passage
hole 103 and a cable passage hole 104 are transversally bored
through the base section 102. The passage holes 103 and 104 partly
overlap with each other to form a single through hole. A temporary
holding surface 105 is formed at an opening end of the cable
passage hole 104 located on a side of the drum 51, a restriction
surface 106 is formed at an opening end of the cable passage hole
104 located on a side of the cable passage hole 56, and further a
spring guide section 107 axially projecting is formed an axial end
portion of the base portion 102. Note that although the illustrated
stopper 101 corresponds to the cable 23 extending on the
vehicle-rear side from the drum 51, the stopper 101 that
corresponds to the cable 23 extending forward the vehicle-front
side from the drum 51 is disposed to have the same shape in which a
function of the temporary holding surface 105 and the restriction
surface 106 is reversed.
Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 9A through 9C, the case body 45 is
provided with stopper accommodating sections 108. The stoppers 101
are housed in the respective stopper accommodating sections 108 so
as to be axially movable. The axial direction of each of the
stopper accommodating sections 108 is perpendicular to an axial
direction of the guide section 54, whereas the respective passage
holes 103 and 104 bored through the stoppers 101 are in parallel
with the axial direction of the guide section 54. Each of the
stoppers 101 is axially movable in the stopper accommodating
section 108 between a first position where the cable passage hole
104 is coaxial with the cable 23 and a second position where the
flange passage hole 103 is coaxial with the cable 23. The spring
guide section 107 projects externally from a through hole 108b
formed at the end portion 108a of the stopper accommodating section
108. Note that a guide closing section 111 is integrally provided
to the cover 46 so that the stopper accommodating section 108 and
the guide section 54 can be closed by the guide closing section
111.
The base section 102 is additionally provided, on a side located
close to the guide closing section 111, with a positioning pawl
112. The positioning pawl 112 has: an elastically deformable leaf
spring section 112a extending toward the interior of the base
section 102; and a pawl section 112b formed at a tip of the leaf
spring section 112a. In contrast, the guide closing section 111
constituting the housing case 47 is provided with a positioning
groove 113 directed to an axial direction of the stopper 101, and
an end portion of the positioning groove 113 is provided with a
positioning section 113a that can be engaged with the pawl section
112b. When the stopper 101 is in the first position, the pawl
section 11 2b is engaged with the positioning section 11 3a so that
the stopper 101 is restricted for movement and held to the first
position.
The housing case 47 is further provided with a backup spring 114
operating as a stopper biasing resilient member and disposed
between the stopper 101 and the end portion 108a of the stopper
accommodating section 108. The backup spring 114 is a compression
coil spring. The stopper 101 is biased to move from the second
position to the first position by the resilient force of the backup
spring 114.
Now, the operation of the stopper 101 will be described based on
FIGS. 9A through 9C and FIGS. 10A and 10B.
Firstly, before each of the cables 23 is linked to the sliding door
12, as shown in FIG. 9A, the stopper 101 is held at the first
position and the flange section 97 of the sliding cap 96 is held in
a state where it abuts the temporary holding surface 105. Thus, the
tension spring 98 becomes compressed, and the cable 23 is loosened
sufficiently so that it can be easily linked to the sliding door
12. In other words, in this case, the first position is a position
where the tension spring 98 becomes temporarily in a resiliently
deformed, namely, in a compressed state. Note that, the inner
diameter of the cable passage hole 104 is made smaller than the
outer diameter of the flange section 97, so that the flange section
97 can certainly contact with the temporary holding surface
105.
When the tension spring 98 is temporarily held in the compressed
state, the outer casing 94 is not pushed out of the case body 45
and the cable 23 is arranged linearly between the case body 45 and
the reversing pulleys 24 and 25, whereby the loosening thereof
occurs. Thus, the cable 23 can be easily linked to the sliding door
12 and the efficiency on the operation of assembling the
opening/closing system 21 can be improved.
Also, when the stopper 101 is in the first position, namely, the
temporary holding position, as shown in FIG. 10A, the pawl section
112b of the positioning pawl 112 is engaged with the positioning
section 113a. Therefore, the stopper 101 is held at the temporary
holding position even if the opening/closing system 21 is subjected
to impact and/or the stopper 101 is subjected to a pushing force by
error. Thus, the tension spring 98 is prevented from coming away
from the compressed state.
Thus, since each of the stoppers 101 in the opening/closing system
21 is provided with the positioning pawl 112 having a pawl section
112b that is engaged with the positioning section 113a provided in
the housing case 47, the stopper 101 is held at the temporary
holding position, thereby preventing the operation errors.
Next, after the cables 23 are linked to the sliding door 12, each
of the stoppers 101 is moved to the second position by an operator,
as shown in FIG. 9B. At this time, the pawl section 112b is
operated by the operator so as to be depressed to the interior of
the base section 102 and to come away from engagement with the
positioning section 113a. When the stopper 101 is moved, the pawl
section 112b slides along the inner surface of the guide closing
section 111, as shown in FIG. 10B. When the stopper 101 is moved to
the second position, the axial center of the flange passage hole
107 and that of the flange section 97 overlap with each other,
whereby the flange section 97 passes through the flange passage
hole 103 and the tension spring 98 is released from the temporarily
held state, namely, the compressed state. That is, in this case,
the second position is a release position for releasing the tension
spring 94 from the compressed state. As a result, the outer casing
94 is biased in a direction along which it is pushed out of the
case body 45 due to the resilient force of the tension spring 98
and the cable 23 is applied to tensile force of a predetermined
level.
Thereafter, when the stopper 101 is brought to the release position
and the compression of the tension spring 98 becomes released, the
stopper 101 is pushed by the backup spring 114 and automatically
moves to the first position, as shown in FIG. 9C. More
specifically, when the stopper 101 comes to the second position, as
shown in FIG. 9B, the backup spring 114 is compressed between the
stopper 101 and the end portion 108a of the stopper accommodating
section 108 to apply its resilient force to the stopper 101 and so
the stopper 101 is biased by the resilient force to move to the
first position. If the stopper is returned to the first position,
the pawl section 112b of the positioning pawl 112 is engaged with
the positioning section 113a once again, whereby the movement of
the stopper 101 is restricted.
When the stopper 101 is returned to the first position, the axis
center of the cable passage hole 104 and that of the flange section
97 overlap with each other, so that the movement range of the
flange section 97 is restricted to a span between the end surface
55 of the guide section 54 and the restriction surface 106. That
is, the flange section 97 whose diameter is greater than the inner
diameter of the cable passage hole 104 cannot move beyond the
stopper 101. Therefore, when the stopper 101 is moved largely to
the side of the drum 51, it comes in contact with the restriction
surface 106 and the movement of the stopper 101 is restricted.
Thus, in this case, the first position operates as not only the
temporary holding position but also the restricting position. When
the span of movement of the flange section 97, namely, that of the
sliding cap 96 is restricted, the displacement of the tension
spring 98 is restricted to a predetermined range that corresponds
to the span of movement of the flange section 97. As a result, even
if the tension spring 98 having such an extend of displacement that
the sufficiently loosing can be caused in the cable 23 is used, the
tension spring 98 is prevented from being compressed to an
unnecessary extent when the opening/closing system 21 is operated
and so the tensile force within an appropriate range can be applied
to the cable 23.
Thus, in the opening/closing system 21, the loosing of the cables
23 can be generated while the tension spring 98 is temporarily held
in the compressed state by the stopper 101. Therefore, the cables
23 can be easily linked to the sliding door 12.
In the opening/closing system 21, when each of the tension springs
98 is released from the compressed state, the extent of
displacement of the tension spring 98 is restricted within the
predetermined range by the stopper 101. Therefore, even if the
tension spring 98 having such an extent of displacement that the
sufficiently loosing of the cable 23 can be generated is used, the
cable 23 is not loosened to the unnecessary extent while the
opening/closing system 21 is operated. Therefore, the cables 23 are
subjected to the appropriate tensile force while the
opening/closing system 21 is operated, so that the sliding door 12
can be opened and closed smoothly.
Additionally, in the opening/closing system 21, the backup spring
114 is provided between each of the stoppers 101 and the case body
45. Therefore, when the stopper 101 is pushed to the release
position, it is automatically returned to the restricting position
by the resilient force of the backup spring 114 and so the stopper
101 can be easily operated.
Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the
above-described embodiment and can be variously modified and
altered without departing from the gist thereof. For example,
although the opening/closing member in the above-described
embodiment is the sliding door, the present invention is not
limited to the sliding door and may be a back door, a sunroof, or
the like.
Also, although the tension spring 98 is used as a tensile force
applying elastic member in the above-described embodiment, the
present invention is not limited thereto and may use any other
elastic members that can bias the respective outer casings 94.
Further in the above-described embodiment, the tension spring 98
serving as a tensile force applying elastic member is used to
generate a tensile force in the cables 23 by warping the outer
casings 94 serving as a tension force applying member that covers
the cables 23. However, the present invention is not limited
thereto and the tension pulley around which the cable 23 is wound
may be used as the tension force applying member. Then, the tension
pulley is biased by the tensile force applying elastic member to
elongate a pathway of the cable 23.
Further in the above-mentioned embodiment, the drum 51 is used as
the output member and linked to the opening/closing member through
the cable 23. However, the present invention is not limited thereto
and, for example, an arm fixed to the output shaft 36 may be used
as the output member and linked to the opening/closing member.
Additionally, although the Hall device is used as the magnetic
sensor 84 in the above-described embodiment, the present invention
is not limited thereto and any other magnetic sensor that can
detect the change in the magnetic field of the magnet 83 in
accordance with the rotation of the drum 51 may be used.
Finally, although the magnet 83 is fixed to the power transmittable
member 61 through the disk member 86 in the above-described
embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto and the
disk member 86 may be fixed to the output shaft 36 or the drum 51.
Still alternatively, the magnet 83 may be directly fixed to the
output shaft 36 or the drum 51 without using the disk member
86.
* * * * *